


Understanding

by clipper782



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Grindelwald Supporter Graves, Jealousy, Legilimency, M/M, Voyeurism, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 06:10:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11269584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clipper782/pseuds/clipper782
Summary: "Percival Graves did not understand Albus Dumbledore. He had never understood him"Albus Dumbledore pays a visit to Percival Graves and MACUSA post-movie. Percival knows his suspicions will bear fruit. If only he could have had more time.





	Understanding

Percival Graves did not understand Albus Dumbledore. He had never understood him. He had met the man on occasion, when he was forced to play politics as Director at MACUSA, though he had never specifically sought after him. He certainly wasn’t a simple man, but neither did he seem overly complex. He claimed to only want to live a quiet life at his British school, teaching transfiguration of all things, yet he always was around whenever anything important was to be discussed. Despite not knowing him all too well, Percival Graves was the top auror in the United States of America. There were certain things a man like him had to be able to tell, had to be able to see, to read, even without the use of legilimency. 

After he had been reinstated as Director, Albus Dumbledore had come to speak with him, and with the President, on an official visit from the British Ministry. If it was shameful to be checked up on by a foreign ministry it was doubly so that they only managed to send a Deputy Headmaster as their delegation. Madam Piquery had been gracious. Director Graves did not plan on the same.

He was about halfway through an incident report on magical muggings near Broadway when he arrived. Taking Percival’s setting aside of his work as invitation enough, he took a seat at Percival’s desk and offered him up some sickly sweet children’s treat he had kept somewhere in his horribly gaudy and impractical robes. He had of course declined. Even if he had trusted the man enough to take candy from him, he had no desire to do so.

The thought crossed his mind that Albus Dumbledore had not been the first eccentric wizard to show up uninvited to his office with offerings of sweets. Said thought made him quite a bit angrier than he would have liked to admit.

His eyes searched the room of Percival’s office, as if Percival would keep all of his secrets just lying around waiting to be found. Not even the other man had been able to find all of his hidden secrets. At least not at first.

The tendrils which began softly prodding at the corners of his mind were subtle at first, easy to shrug off, but even easier to ignore. By the time he had realized what was happening it was too late. The other man had gotten in just a bit too far and that memory began playing with no recourse to stop it.

It was a day and a scene just like this one, but Albus Dumbledore had been replaced by the other man. Gellert Grindelwald. It was unnerving, to say the least, to see him in person, casually leaning against his desk, existing without a care. No one around to actually notice and give a damn. He’d gained access to the office through a cloak of deception, impersonating an auror being one of his lesser crimes, Percival had supposed. But he wasn’t hiding now. He strode through the office, turning through books and files like he owned the place. Practice for when he would, he supposed now.

He saw himself asking the man what he was doing there, half curious, half defensive. Hand already on his wand. Dangerous criminal and all that. He saw himself react in surprise when the other man threw a newspaper down on the desk in front of him.

“This was you, wasn’t it?”

How he knew, Percival Graves would never in his life know. Perhaps some vision that had come to him. Perhaps some other form of magic he didn’t know. Perhaps he’d just been looking through samples of his writing and decided that this fit. That one was beyond unlikely but it gave him a shadow of a thrill to think that Grindelwald had specifically set out for him with no outside magical influences. Unlikely, but, a nice thought nonetheless.

He had to wonder about what Albus Dumbledore must have been thinking. The man could see inside his mind right now. He could see his thoughts, feel his emotions. Oh he would surely be doomed after all this, but it would all be worth it if he could just look into the other man’s eyes and see what expression was on his face. Maybe he’d even be able to read it.

As for the paper it was a simple story. He’d had to punish Porpentina Goldstein for her stunt with the Second Salemers. That was his duty as Percival Graves. However, it was also his right as an anonymous citizen to publish op-eds in the daily paper cursing out his own forced decisions and the laws which had forced them. He had even referred to himself as the ‘fecal stained king on the porcelain throne of MACUSA’. Perhaps that had been a mistake. Nevertheless, the paper he’d ended up writing in his frustration had ended up sounding very… Pro-Grindelwald.

Perhaps that had not been a mistake.

Gellert Grindelwald had been a charming man, who was now, at this point in his memory, perching at the edge of his desk, hovering quite close. Making a proposal that a proper auror, a proper Director of Magical Security would have scoffed at. An offer the Percival Graves in his memory was listening to with a most rapt attention. 

He had accepted. That much would be obvious. Albus Dumbledore should leave now. Call up his friends at the British Ministry, offer himself up as incontrovertible proof of his collusion.

He did not.

That was just as well, as far as Percival was concerned. He had no qualms about what would come next. If this was what he wanted, let him have it. If this was what he had come here for…

“I’ve been watching you,” the man on the table. Slipping towards him. One hand on his thigh the other on his cheek. He watches his eyes fall, but not close, never close, as they meet. Now he’s the one on the desk, sincerely glad for whatever charms Gellert Grindelwald had put on the office to keep everyone outside minding their own goddamn business. And oh, had it really been so long since he had been with another, or was the wizarding world’s most wanted just really that skilled? It was odd to watch from so far away, but oddly satisfying. Like a voyeur in his own life and if he was anything more than a phantom in his own memory, he’d certainly be turned on right now. The pants of his work suit pooled around his ankles, his belt clanging to the floor along with them as he was bent, not roughly but not gently either, over his own desk. The look on the other man’s face was pure conjecture. He couldn’t have seen it at the angle he was at now. But the way he looked now was a man with power in his hands and the world at his feet. And then there was lust. Just a hint of pride. A sliver of shrouded affection as he cooed at him, soft words he could neither remember nor hear now, being so far away. The only thing he said that Percival could truly remember…

“Albus…”

It wouldn’t have been so bothersome if it hadn’t become such a frequent thing. Just once Percival would have enjoyed hearing his own name on the man’s lips as he thrust into him or peaked at his orgasm or… But ‘Percival Graves’ was reserved for less intimate moments than those. At least this would be the only memory he’d have to allow _him_ to see… He was still there. Somewhere. Watching him. Mocking him. Suddenly the world felt just a little too small. Just a little too tight.

And with that he was back sitting at his desk, staring, glaring, at the auburn haired man across from him, whose blue eyes held no malice, but a sense of victory Percival would give anything to take away from him.

“Enlightening.” Was all he said. Percival was sure he saw his mouth quirk up into a smirk, but it was gone in an instant. Just like he would need to be. Pity, he’d really hoped he could have still been of use in this position. Oh well. Surely this was not the only way he could be of use.

Albus Dumbledore asked no further questions and instead began to head towards the door.

“You could take him from me. You know it too, I’m sure.” And now he was acting like a jealous school child. Typical.

“Why would I do that?” And he left with nothing but the click of the door behind him left to be said.

Percival Graves did not understand Albus Dumbledore. He had never understood him. He was willing to bet a large sum of money that he never would. He wasn’t sure he wanted to understand the man. He wanted to hate the man, truly he did. But he couldn’t quite bring himself to do that either.

An alarm went off somewhere in MACUSA and Percival took that as his cue to start packing. They couldn’t prove anything so quickly, let alone set up a trial, even with the extra vigilance around his case. By the time they knew what had happened, he’d already be gone.

Word on the street was, Gellert Grindelwald had gone to France after his escape. Percival Graves had always wanted to see Paris.


End file.
